Skewer/Story
'Fondness Story' *Note: The person called Latiao mentioned through out the stories is Spicy Gluten (辣条, Là tiáo). 'I. Snowy Night' It was a dark, windy night, and I was walking alone on top of the snow-capped cliff. The wind whistled among the mountains, and when it passed through a cave you could hear it echo the cries of wolves. I hid myself in a cave to escape the sudden blizzard for a time. I could set out again after the ever increasingly heavy snowfall came to an end. I picked up some dry grass and sticks from the floor of the cave and built a fire. The snowflakes falling outside the cave were as big as feathers. As I watched the world quiet, becoming blanketed in white and silver, I stared at the snow dancing in the air with rapt attention. For a moment, as I stared at this frozen world, it was like I forgot that I, Skewer, existed at all. Thump―――――― A dull, heavy crash interrupted my thoughts. "It's probably just the snow on the mountain sliding down," I thought to myself. The sky was still full of snow, like it would never end. With nothing to but watch the snow fall, I began to overcome with boredom. Suddenly my beloved red color began to encroach on this world of white, drawing nearer and nearer to me. Soon it was right in front of my eyes, that intense, bewitching crimson. "Oh! I didn't think there would be anyone here." The gentle voice in my ears was full of charm. "My name is Latiao, I hope you don't mind if I sit down." My whole body reminded me that this person in front of me was dangerous. "Sure, go ahead." I couldn't refuse, I had no excuse say no in a situation like this. Even if she was a Food Soul. "Even in this season, if you come to a mountain this high to pick snow lotus you're still going to get caught in the snow sometimes," Latiao said, eyeing the snow lotus branches sticking out of the bag on my back. I'm not sure why but it felt like she was mocking me, so I differently told her the reason I came here. "Fallen Angel just attacked a village near here, so if I don't do something those villagers may die." "Ah-haha~ You're such a sweet child." Latiao stared at me, an unsettling smile on her face. "It doesn't matter a bit whether you help or not~ So-called 'human beings' have always been shameless little things that consider it a 'successful' life if they survive until the end." "Do you think you can say things like that just because Food Souls live a long time?" For some reason the things she said made me very angry. "Human beings are far, far uglier than you can imagine, little girl." Latiao raised the whip in her hand as though she were pointing at something in the dark. "You speak so decisively, but that's just your arrogant prejudice," I said coldly, my gaze drifting back outside the cave. 'II. Silent Snow' The snow had stopped at some point. I shouldered my bag and stood up, extinguished the fire and left the cave. I had no idea whether Latiao had been on the same road as me all along, or whether she had just decided that following me would be interesting, but either way she tagged along. The thought caused my pace to quicken. When I came to the slope leading downhill, I noticed something under my feet. Something soft that wasn't snow. When I lowered my head I saw something gray half-hidden by the snow. I crouched down and brush off the accumulated snow. The feel of the furry gray pelt on my palm made me recognize what it was: "It's a pup~" "Ahaha, well isn't that interesting." No sooner had I said the words then I heard Latiao's laughter behind me. "What are you going to do now? Bring this little nuisance? Or leave it to die?" "Nuisance?" Then I noticed frozen blood clots tangled in the hair on the dog's belly. "Was the crash I heard early the sound of it falling?" The thought crossed my mind even though I had no way to confirm my guess. The pup's body was almost completely cold, probably because of the snow. Only the faint rise and fall of its belly gave any indication that it was still alive. "It's not going to survive much longer like this, it would be kinder to kill it right now and end its suffering," Latiao said as she moved to draw her whip. "What do you think you're doing?" "I'm doing the right thing of course." "I an save it." I put my body between Latiao and the pup before she can come any closer. "All on your own? Hrmph~" Latiao quietly snorted. "The Snow Lotus you've found will help, but don't you still need to save those villagers you were talking about?" She seemed to be testing me, and she added: "I guess either way you're saving garbage." Without a moment's hesitation I take several of the Snow Lotus blossoms and place them on the pup's wounds. Latiao didn't have much to add as I did this, she just threw up her hands and walked away. "Suit yourself." 'III. Gossip' This was a small village of about a dozen families located at the foot of the mountain. A Fallen Angel attack several months ago had devastated the village. The suffering the Fallen Angel brought with them had seemed like more than the villagers could bear. However, after a few short months the village had regained its previous harmony. There was a small shop in the village with a jiugongge pot for cooking food on bamboo skewers. And I was the owner of that shop. Everyone would come there to cheer themselves up with food, wine, and laughter. This was my favorite sight. The cool season had already begun, but warm winds carried the sound of a babbling spring down from the mountain. Early autumn was probably the best season. The early morning tranquility was the only time I felt at peace. I sat in a small courtyard behind the shop, the pup I had rescued by my side. "I'm glad I kept you that day, Snowstorm," I said while gently rubbing the head of the pup lying at my feet.. Even though Snowstorm's wounds were basically healed, walking was still a challenge. I would have been all alone here if it hadn't been for Snowstorm. This train of thought made me feel blessed. Knock knock knock――― There was an unexpected knock at the door to the courtyard. I opened the door and was met by and old woman. She gave me a warm smile and said: "I'm very sorry to put you in this position, but I'm hoping you'll take pity on me... My husband has a bad ticker and I need a bit more of your Snow Lotus, or else..." I empathized with the old woman wanting to use Snow Lotus to save the heart of the most important person in the world to her, but I also knew that there was no way I could help her. To save the gravely wounded villagers I had scaled the top of a mountain that soared miles high. I hadn't brought back much Snow Lotus with me that way, but through careful rationing I was able to provide the most grievously wounded enough healing to save their lives. "I'm sorry, I can't help you," I said calmly. "Please, I'm begging you, just a tiny bit... I can't just watch him die." The old woman was pleading with all her strength. The scene was hard to watch, and I hesitated at the threshold. Suddenly there was something soft pressing against my legs, and I looked down to meet Snowstorm's eyes. She had probably come to see what was taking me so long. "Ah!!! Wolf!!!" The old woman fled like she had seen a ghost. I was left alone staring at Snowstorm, bewildered. "Wolf???" Within two days the rumor had spread through the village that I was raising a wolf like a dog. 'IV. Guarding' At first I paid no heed to what the villagers were saying. After all, I didn't really get what was so frightening about these "wolves" they kept going on about. Snowstorm was with me day and night, and even though she grew rapidly she remained gentle; she would never hurt a soul, how could they mistake her for some vicious wild beast? Luckily these rumors didn't hurt my shop's business any. The spot remained popular, especially in the evenings when people would come to eat dinner while enjoying the fresh air. Maybe it was because of what I had done for this village. Everyone was very tolerant of me; they always smiled at me even though I always maintained my stony demeanor. I worked in the kitchen every day with a grateful heart, then I would bring the food the their tables myself. This was probably the thing that brought me the most joy. The villagers knew it wasn't easy for someone to run their own business, so other than a bit of teasing when they had nothing better to do they mostly left me to my own devices. "No matter when I see you, you always look gorgeous!" "I know I'm a woman and all, but DAMN I wish I had your body~" "Shush now, even I don't have enough food here to shut you up!" Even though I was used to their teasing, I still didn't enjoy listening to it, and I felt anger well up in my chest in response to their words. While I was bringing food to another table a narrow-faced man walked up behind me. He swayed a little on his feet, and he seemed a little out of it, like he was drunk. When he reached out to lightly tap on my shoulder, my instinct was to slap his hand away. However, no sooner had I thought of doing so than a slender shadow leapt at him. AHHH———— A piercing scream silenced the other customers in a heartbeat. One drop, two drops...A thick red fluid was dripping onto the floor. After a moment of silence customers began to scatter like they had seen a ghost. "Wolf! There's a wolf!" At that moment I saw a savagery in Snowstorm's eyes that I had never seen before. She had never so much as bared her fangs at me before, but now she was biting this man's arm. Blood just kept pouring out, and the man kept screaming in pain as he desperately beat at Snowstorm's head with his other arm. But rather than let go she just bit deeper, as though she were trying to bite his arm clean off. "Stop! It's fine, he didn't hurt me...Just let go!" It took me a moment to react, but then I realized she was protecting me. I stroked her back while I tried to calm her down, but she her body was so taut I could feel it tremble. A large number of villagers were standing around watching, drawn by the commotion; a number of them had brought weapons from home so they could put her down if need be. Snowstorm was no longer her usual calm, gentle self; it didn't seem like my words were getting through to her at all. There was nothing else I could do so I threw myself on top of Snowstorm and held her tightly. "Please, please let go~" Finally Snowstorm loosened her bite and released the man. I thought to myself, she understand me. The only good news was that Snowstorm was still a cub. The wound she left behind wasn't particularly deep. As soon as Snowstorm let go, the narrow-faced man scrambled away and fled. Nevertheless, it didn't seem like the villagers were going to leave it at that. People were no longer smiling at me the way they used to. "So it's true, she really is raising a wolf~" "Heavens, no normal person would do such a thing!" "Food Souls and humans aren't so similar after all..." The villagers kept muttering to one another. They clutched their weapons in their hands, like they might rush at Snowstorm and beat her to death at any moment. "It's natural to be afraid of dangerous animals, even if they're still young," I said, standing between the villagers and Snowstorm. "I understand that, so..." Everything was silent. There was only me, pleading with all my strength. "I'll take Snowstorm away from here." 'V. Skewer' It’s an all too familiar scene, but no longer is it one of jade mountains covered in downy snow. Spicy Shish Kebab and Silent Snow have been living in the cave for a month. Even to this day, Spicy Shish Kebab still clearly remember the day she encountered Silent Snow on this mountain route. She also remembered clearly what Spicy Hot Chips said to her. Human beings have a dark side. And that’s the reason why Spicy Shish Kebab could never disagree with Spicy Hot Chips. And it’s precisely because Spicy Shish Kebab knows humanity’s dark side so well, that she is truly thankful for the villager’s kindness. But human being’s are not entirely dark. Which is why she feels so heartsick, because she also knows the kindness of human beings. Time flew by while living in the cave; as if time had passed right underneath their nose. I thought that it would be wonderful if I could live with Silent Snow in the mountains forever. But Spicy Shish Kebab can not forget her dream to become cuisine. After careful consideration, Spicy Shish Kebab made the decision that have Silent Snow go back to the wolf pack. After all, if Silent Snow were to stay much longer becoming a wolf would lose its significance. I think she wants to be free. That what was Spicy Shish Kebab thought, because she is afraid that Silent Snow would not be able to easily assimilate into the wolf pack. She began to have Silent Snow hunt in the mountain, which was a necessary skill for her. And as long as she didn’t lose her wild instincts she wouldn’t be shunned by the other wolves. Silent Snow has been running in the mountains constantly. Even in the middle of the night, the moonlight reflected white light from her silvery coat. Just like the color of snow. Silent Snow cut an elegant figure into the night ,her body twisted and contorted like a beautiful arc as she ran. Trees were rare in this mountain, so, with its wide-open vistas, it was a great place for hunting. Spicy Shish Kebab just sat there watching, she wanted to keep the image of all Silent Snow in her mind forever. Even on the day Silent Snow had to return to the pack. Looking at the canine figure that was once a tiny cub who could easily be held in her arms; the once adorable face had gradually turned to the cold and foreboding silhouette of a wolf. But the look in her eyes never changed At sunset, the mountains were speckled with flecks of crimson. That’s the red that Spicy Shish Kebab loves best. The closed shadows was aparting. Spicy Shish Kebab stood in front of the place the little wolf would return back to live – the wolf pack. The little wolf walked slowly and proudly, but she looked back when he took a few steps. As if she would go back to Spicy Shish Kebab in a heartbeat if she were just to call out her name. But Spicy Shish Kebab didn’t, and she could’t bear to look her in the eye. She turned around and was headed in the opposite direction. “This is what’s best for her,” Spicy Shish Kebab told herself. She kept telling herself it was the right decision. And she kept telling herself that she should smile at Silent Snow, even she didn’t like smiling. Spicy Shish Kebab turned around again, and looked at the eyes that has already looked back on her many times. When she did so, she kept trying to force the corners of her mouth into a smile, while her lips trembledand twitched. She tried to control her emotions. But her expression betrayed her. Category:Food Soul Story